When The Night Falls Quiet
by EmilyMay93
Summary: "10-1, 10-1, shots fired at 6031 South Indiana Avenue. My partner's been shot!" Dropping her radio, Erin applied a heavier pressure to the gunshot wound, her lip quivering. "Come on Jay, stay with me".
1. When The Night Falls Quiet

**When The Night Falls Quiet  
**

_Oh hey guys! Long time no see. No seriously, it's been forever - blame university, not me. So this morning, I was working on the next chapter of "Hours" (check it out if you haven't already), but inspiration struck in a different direction and I ended up belting this bad boy out. I thought of adding this into one of the hours, but ultimately (and I think it's the right move) I've decided to make it into a brand spanking new two-shot/three-shot (haven't decided yet, let me know your thoughts). _

_I, timeline wise, have this set at the end of this season. Maybe (because I'm hoping Linstead get back together in New York with the crossover episode) before the crossover episode. Linstead has happened, Voight's forced them apart, but what happens in this story may bring them back together._

_I hope you enjoy, and if you do, feel free to leave your thoughts and feelings in a review at the end._

_Much love, :) x_

* * *

The wind whispers. Shadows dance. A single snowflake falls.

Lifting her head to the sky, Erin Lindsay blinks: once, twice. Inhaling the frigid air, she turns her head towards her partner and nods.

Guns drawn, they move, creeping along the footpath. Through the gate and up the stairs. Jay Halstead's knuckles rapped against the doorframe.

"Chicago PD, open up". His voice echoed.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still, there was no answer.

They exchanged a look. Erin nodded.

Wood splintered as the door swung open. They moved in, breaking formation and clearing separate rooms.

A single sound echoes off the empty walls: crack.

Whipping her head up at the sound, Erin called out, "Jay".

No answer. Everything fell still. An eerie silence.

Furrowing her brows, Erin moved from the kitchen, checking her six as she crept along the hallway. She checked each room as she went: bathroom, bedroom, what appeared to be a linen closet. Nothing.

Moving towards the final door at the back of the house, her breath hitched. Again, she called his name, "Jay".

With no answer, she kicked the door, moving in as it swung on its hinges. Sweeping her eyes about the empty room, Erin felt her stomach drop.

"Jay!" Her voice screeched a sound that was unfamiliar.

Rushing over, she dropped to her knees, holstering her gun. Her hands trembled, hovering over the red blood seeping from Jay Halstead's chest, just above the heart. "No, no, no".

Realisation hitting, Erin packed pressure onto the wound with one hand, the other reaching for her radio.

"10-1, 10-1, shots fired at 6031 South Indiana Avenue. My partner's been shot!" Dropping her radio, Erin applied a heavier pressure to the gunshot wound, her lip quivering. "Come on Jay, stay with me".

* * *

Out on the street as dusk rolled in, everything was a blur. The world seeming to buzz straight past her. Lights flashing. People moving. Voices shouting. But she was frozen. Muted in place.

"-Erin", a voice called, but Erin didn't hear them. She stood, watching as paramedics worked ferociously on her partner. Watching as they did everything they could to save Jay Halstead's life.

A comforting hand came to rest between Erin's shoulder blades, a gravelling voice soft. "Erin".

Even with Hank beside her, Erin couldn't tear her eyes away from Jay's limp and lifeless body.

"Systemic pressure is falling".

"Push norepinephrine".

The younger of the two male paramedics push the norepinephrine through Jay's IV line. "Norepinephrine in".

"Systemic pressure is rising. Let's get him to the hospital before we lose him again!" The older paramedic's voice bellowed.

Watching as the doors of the ambulance slammed closed, and the rumble of the engine started, Hank Voight stepped in front of Erin, forcing her to look at him instead of the ambulance which was speeding off towards Chicago Med.

"Come on, kiddo. I'll take you there".

With scared eyes, Erin looked up and gave a single terrified nod.

* * *

The drive over to Chicago Med was quiet. Neither Voight nor Erin spoke a single word. Sound crackled from Voight's police scanner, calling for additional units to the scene where Halstead was shot, but neither was paying attention. Erin was numb. The scene replaying in her head: wood splintering, feet moving, the single crack as a bullet shot through the air, blood oozing between her fingers. So much blood. Too much blood.

As Voight pulled into the closest parking bay to the Emergency Department, Erin didn't wait until the ignition was turned off. Her seatbelt was off and her door was flying open. Turning to get from the vehicle, Erin felt strong fingers wrap around her wrist. Looking over her shoulder to Voight, she saw the worry in shadows that danced across his face.

"Breathe".

Erin, knowing that Voight wouldn't let go of her until she took a moment for herself, did as she was told. She inhaled through the nose, and exhaled through the mouth.

"Okay. Now let's go see what they can tell us". And together they did. They exited the car, walked across the parking lot and through the large double doors that led into chaos.

* * *

Sharon Goodwin spotted Erin and Voight as soon as they walked through the doors. "Sergeant Voight".

As they walked over to where Sharon was standing, Erin spoke her first words in nearly an hour. "Halstead, how is he?"

"They've taken him straight into surgery, sweetheart. They're doing all they can". Sharon gave Erin a reassuring smile, but she knew it was of no use. She then watched as Erin clasped and unclasped her hands, keeping them busy. "How about we get you cleaned up, get that blood off your hands?"

Erin looked down to hands as Sharon called out to April, willing the nurse over.

"April, can you take the Detective through to the staff toilets, get her cleaned up. I'll show the Sergeant through to the surgical waiting room".

April nodded, and after Voight gave Erin a few reassuring words, calling her "kiddo" more than once, he and Sharon watched the two walk off.

An edge had worked its way into Voight's voice when he spoke again, "I want it straight, how is my Detective really going?"

Sharon took a breath. "It's touch and go at best. I would prepare yourself and your Detective for the worst".

* * *

They'd only been sitting the surgical waiting room for a few minutes when Voight filled the void of silence. "You know I don't allow in-house relationships-"

Erin turned her head, "Hank-"

But Voight's gravelling voice interrupted her, "I know you care for him".

She forced a smile, tears budding behind her hazel eyes. "You have no idea".

A worrisome voice broke Voight and Lindsay apart, turning their attention.

"-Erin".

"Will". Erin's voice was shaky, barely covering the emotion that was jumbled inside her

"Sharon called, said Jay was shot. What happened?"

Looking down to her hands, which were stained with blood, Erin shook her head, unable to stop her bottom lip from trembling.

Standing up, Voight shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Jay and Erin were following a lead; the perp got a jump on your brother. He's in surgery now".

"Will, I'm-"

Will took Erin's hands in his own. "It's not your fault".

Looking up to the younger of the two Halstead's, Erin only wished she could hear his words as true.

"Hey, hey, hey". Will's voice went soft as he wiped a tear that rolled down Erin's cheek. Her façade now broken. "Jay's a fighter. He'll win the battle".

"Blood". Her voice was a strange hiccup. "There was so much blood".

She's seen blood before. That didn't worry her. She'd seen gunshot victims. That didn't worry her either, it all came with the job. But this was different. This time, she knew who had the trigger pulled on them. Sure, she had that personal connection when Burgess was shot a few months back, but this time, someone she deeply cared about, even loved, was the one lying on the operating table fighting for his life. She hadn't had that before.

Looking from Erin to Voight and then around the waiting room, Will turned back. "How about we go wait in the staff break room downstairs? We got a killer upgrade after the E.R explosion".

Erin cracked a smile. A genuine smile that seemed to wash away the pain for at least a second. "Okay".

* * *

Two hours later, Erin was woken by someone lightly shaking her shoulder. As she came to, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she found the person to be Voight.

"Halstead's surgeon is here".

With a sharp intake of breath, Erin jolted to her feet. Shuffling over to where Will and Dr Hannah Tramble were quietly conversing.

"Jay?"

Hannah turned her body towards Erin, "I was just telling Will that Jay made it through surgery. Just. I'm not going to sugar coat it because he's not anywhere near being out of the woods. There were some complications and he did code on the table multiple times. He suffered a secondary tear to the inferior vena cava and right atrium, which has come from resuscitative efforts".

"How many units of blood did he go through?" Will, having gone into doctor mode, asked.

Hannah squinted towards her colleague before answering. "Fourteen".

"And the bullet?" Voight, who was listening from the back of the room, spoke up.

"What I can tell personally is that it was a low velocity bullet, most likely from a handgun. The bullet will be passed on to your police techs for further analysis". After answering Voight's question, Hannah looked between the three concerned faces, each reflecting the others feelings. "I wasn't the lead on this, so Jay's cardiac surgeon will be around to explain what comes next in his recovery process".

Running a hand through his hair, Will collected his breath. "Thanks, Hannah".

"I'll come back and let you know when he's out of recovery and in the ICU". And with a weary smile, Hannah moved from the room, leaving Will, Erin and Voight to collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

Jay Halstead, for the time being, was alive.

* * *

_And there it is part one of god knows how many (probably, maybe three). _

_If you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, drop me a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions._

_Will Jay survive? Dun, dun dun... You decide?_


	2. Need The Sun to Break

**When The Night Falls Quiet  
**

_Oh hey guys! I want to start off by saying that I'm sorry. In 'Stepping Stone' I had promised to update this story within the week of that being published, however a few days after I said that, a friend passed away. I had also planned on releasing this chapter within a week of publishing the first, but my personal life was shattered into a million pieces. Ultimately, my life came to a standstill, and I'm only now starting to pick up the pieces.  
_

_Moving away from that black hole of misery, I want to say that from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Your response to chapter one, and ultimately this story has been unbelievable. To the people who reviewed, followed, favourited and even just read, thank you._

_To "The Deepest Secret", thank you for keeping me honest. Your review, and subsequent PM way back when was such a boost. To know that my story feels "real" and "true" is everything I ask for as an author, and I'm glad I've been able to deliver that to you. So here's to no longer needing to wear down your refresh button._

_To everyone else, I hope you enjoy part two of the journey I'm taking you down, and don't forget, that if you do like what you've read, leave a review at the end._

_Much love, :) x_

* * *

Nights turned into days. And days turned into nights. The sun rose and fell. Winter had set in with a lashing of fresh snow that coated the city of Chicago. The outside world kept moving, but inside the walls of Chicago Med, Erin Lindsay was sure time had stood still.

It had been three days since Jay Halstead had been shot. And Erin hadn't moved from his bedside. The bags under her eyes were darkening. Her hair starting to grease. But still, she refused to leave. Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, second after second, she sat in the lone chair, listening as an inhaling clunk was followed by exhaling whoosh that bounced and echoed around the sterile ICU room. She watched, almost eagle like, for any sign of Jay regaining consciousness. She willed him to wake. But her efforts were of no use. Jay remained comatose.

* * *

_Sitting on the edge of Erin's sofa, a beer cradled in his hands, Jay watches as his partner walks back into her apartment after having spoken with Voight out in the hall. "Should I sneak out the fire escape?" _

_Laughing, Erin steps in close to Jay's frame, folding her arms across her chest. "I gotta go take care of something real quick. Thank you for being here, today was a rough one"._

_"You've been there for me before". Jay says, holding Erin's gaze._

_On the cusp of saying something, Erin smiles a laughing smile._

_And as Erin starts to head out, Jay calls out after her, "I might wait like five minutes before I leave"._

_"Sure". Giving Jay another smile, Erin picks up her jacket and walks from her apartment, letting the door click softly shut behind her._

* * *

Familiar voices carried down the hall, and when they were no longer a distant sound, Erin pulled her exhausted body from its slumped position in the chair that seemed to have moulded to her body, and turned towards the doorway.

"Any news?"

Antonio shook his head no, before nodding towards Jay, "How's he doing?"

"No change". Erin's voice cracked as she looked over her shoulder to her partner, giving his unresponsive body a tight smile. "How can Pollard still be in the wind?"

Behind her, Antonio and Ruzek shared a look. "He's not".

"You said"… Snapping her head back around, Erin furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

Ruzek shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Jay must have squeezed a round off before he was hit. After Pollard fled, he patched himself up, and went to ground. Yesterday, Mouse spotted him on a traffic cam breaking into a veterinary clinic that's been closed for a couple months, probably hoping to score something for the infection that's developed". The look on Erin's face had Ruzek feeling as though he needed to keep explaining himself. "He's under police security on the floor below, but he's not saying anything".

That got Erin out of the chair, her voice rising. "Jay's barely alive. How can Pollard not be talking?"

"Erin". Antonio's voice was cooling, calm.

Her façade broken, Erin collapsed into the chair. "He has to wake up, Antonio, he has too".

Walking over, Antonio placed a reassuring hand on Erin's shoulder, squeezing gently. "He will. But in the meantime, how 'bout I get the boys on the door to take you home. You need to sleep, you're not doing yourself any favours".

Erin, too exhausted to argue, just nodded. "Okay".

* * *

_Taking down the headshots from their latest case, Jay turns when he hears Erin's voice._

_"You think he understands where he's going?" _

_Looking at the headshot of their suspect, Jay mentions. "Mental health department can explain it to him. He's all there's until the trial". _

_"Let hope he does his time". Erin says, walking towards her desk. _

_"He'll do it". Jay notes. "If he knows where he's at while he's doing it, he's got better doctors than I do". Watching as Erin opens her desk drawer and pulls something out, Jay comments. "You can't stay away can you?" _

_"What?" Erin asks looking towards him. "I forgot something". Moving around her desk, Erin comments, "You did run out of here pretty quick when I told everyone I was taking the new gig". _

_"You wanted a goodbye hug". _

_Rolling her eyes and flicking a piece of hair out of her face, Erin tells him. "That's not what I'm saying"._

_"Hey, it's okay to admit you're losing sleep without a goodbye hug". Jay comically says. _

_As the two grin at each other, Jay gets up from the edge of his desk and walks over to her. "Come here". Wrapping her in a hug, the two hold onto each other tight. "I'm going to miss you". _

* * *

Sliding the key into her apartment door, Erin pushed it open. The wood felt heavy against her weak limbs, and then cooling against her back when she slumped against it. Looking into the darkness of her apartment, Erin sighed heavily. The single heavy sigh was all it took for the tears she'd been pushing back to come to the forefront. Eyes prickling, heat rising, she slid to the floor, her vision blurring as her body wracked with a painful cry.

* * *

_Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Erin glances over her shoulder as Jay walks in the breakroom. "So." _

_"So". Jay repeats, picking up a mug from the dishrack and holding it out so Erin can fill it._

_ Pouring the coffee into Jay's mug, Erin tells him. "So just because I'm back doesn't mean I want to quit me and you"._

_Looking over his shoulder, Jay turns back to Erin. "I don't know. I'm not really the sneak around behind dad's back kind of guy"._

_"Says the guy who works undercover". Erin comments with a wide grin._

_With his own smile, Jay suggests. "Let's just come clean. Voight will respect us more if we look him in the eye"._

_"Or, we week our personal lives personal, it's nobody's business but ours". _

_Jay raises his eyebrows, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. _

_A knock on the kitchen window breaks them apart, and they turn to listen to Ruzek. "Voight wants to move out". _

_"Yep, got it". Jay says all too quickly. With a nod, and a somewhat guilty smile, Erin starts to move from the room. "To be continued"._

_"Yep". _

* * *

Time passed. She wasn't sure how long, and she didn't have the energy to care. It could have been minutes, hours or days.

Choking back a new onslaught of tears, Erin drew her knees up, hugging onto them tightly. She wasn't an overtly religious person, not since her days at St. Ignatius, but as she bowed her head, she said a prayer for her partner.

"Mary, full of grace, spiritual mother to those in need, I fervently request your heavenly intercession for Jay who is ill and seeks God's miraculous assistance. You truly care for the sick and offer them your compassionate support in powerful acts of healing.

Stay near to Jay with your maternal protection. Console our anxious hearts and grant that our physical and emotional sufferings be a source of purification and growth for eternal life. Amen".

Inhaling a lungful of air, Erin lifted her head and slowly exhaled. Finding strength she didn't know she could muster, Erin picked herself off of the ground, and with a tight smile, she reached into her jacket pocket. Pulling out her cell, Erin keyed in an all too familiar number as she started to make her way towards her bathroom.

"-You've reached Detective Jay Halstead. I can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you when I can"…

* * *

_"So like you saw in the file, I've been Voight's C.I., so he knew me. And when I was sixteen him and his wife took me in. He saved me. Then he pulled some strings and got me into St. Ignatius, and when I got there I just made up who I was - Voight's goddaughter, staying with him while my parents were travelling"._

_"So you've always been good at undercover?" Jay asked with a coy smile. _

_With a laugh, Erin lifts her glass of whiskey to her lips. "If you mean lying, yeah". Jay's gently gaze bears deep as Erin takes a tip of her drink. "I was a street kid"… "So Steph and her crew pulled me into their clique. And pretty soon we were doing everything together – shopping, parties, all of it"… "Then somebody found out who I really was. You figure out who your real friends are pretty quick when the words out your mom's a junkie and your dad's in jail". _

_His eyes never leaving hers, Jay amusingly asks. "Whose ass you kick first?" _

_Erin shakes her head. "Voight had to make a deal with the director of the school to get me in. If I got in a fight, and threw even one punch, I was out. So I ate it, and it still bothers me, I don't know why. Even after days like today when you'd think everything would be put in perspective"… "I don't know". _

_Watching as Erin shrugs, Jay glances down to her hand, before taking it in his, gently squeezing._

_Looking from their hands, to his gaze, Erin shakes her head with a smile. "We can't". _

_"Come on, let's get you home". Jay says, standing from the stool. _

_Grabbing her clutch, Erin stands, stepping into Jay's frame and looking up to him she says, "Maybe one day"._

_"Oh definitely". _

* * *

Stepping back into the hospital room six hours after leaving, Erin greeted Ruzek. "Hey Adam".

"Lindsay". Closing the magazine he was only half interested in, Ruzek rose. "There's been no change. Will said he'd come in at midnight to check on things".

Looking over her shoulder to the wall clock by the nursing station, Erin noted the time, 11:26pm. "Okay".

With a squeeze of Erin's shoulder and what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Ruzek started to make his way from the room. Stopping at the door, Ruzek glanced back and watched as Erin dragged the only chair in close to Jay's bed and laced the fingers of one hand in with his, while the other lightly ran the length of his forearm. With a knowing smile, Ruzek lightly chuckled to himself before turning and walking down the empty corridor.

Playing with the fine arm hairs at Jay's wrist, Erin twirled them between her fingers. "As I was driving back here, I was thinking of the first time we met. I was not impressed".

* * *

_With a whistle that echoed around the newly formed Intelligence unit, Antonio Dawson quickly gained everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up everyone". _

_Lifting her head from her computer, Erin noted the guy standing next to Antonio. _

_"This is Jay. He'll be part of the team come next week". Antonio started. _

_Stepping forward, Jay spoke up. "Jay Halstead. I've been working as an undercover for the last few years. In the Army before that". _

_Looking at him through squinted eyes, Erin internally groaned. The new guy seemed… cocky, too ambitious. She wasn't up for being paired with someone she couldn't trust, and she wasn't getting any trustworthy vibes of the guy._

_"Erin Lindsay". She found herself saying as she extended an arm as she introduced herself. "Welcome to the team". _

* * *

Looking out the window, Erin listened to the wind whisper and howl. She watched the shadows from the tree branches dance. And as a single snowflake fell against the glass, Erin swept the hair from Jay's face and watched as he finally opened his eyes.

* * *

_So... Jay's awake, but is he out of the woods?_

_Let me know your thoughts._

_ PS. You all have no idea how many times I flipped between Jay living and dying.  
_

_PPS. I'm not a religious person, so I have no idea if I used to correct prayer. I googled it!_


End file.
